Using Twitter lists for journalism and public relations

New feature lets users organize their follows in an array of categories

Twitter has been rolling out a feature called Twitter Lists, which will enable all users to create private or public lists of Twitter users as they see fit.

Here’s the quick scoop on what this feature is all about, and how I think it will be useful for journalists and public relations professionals.

What is Twitter Lists?

This new feature will enable you to create, manage and share lists of Twitter followers in your account.

Let’s say you’d like to create a list of “My Favorite People on Twitter” for your other followers to see. In the past, you would have been limited to a “Follow Friday” shout-out or a separate post on your blog. With this new feature, you can create a new list, add the Twitter users you want to share, and publish the list to your profile.

Similar to features found in Twitter clients like TweetDeck or Seesmic, you can also create your own private lists of Twitter users, to help you manage your interactions more efficiently. In short, Twitter Lists add a new component to the viral nature of Twitter and is sure to increase use and cross-pollination among users.